The "Memorializing St. James" Story

St. James Episcopal Church was founded in 1744 with
services held in the Court House, as shown here.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the weekly newsletter sent by email to me from St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, PA.  News of the parish such as important celebrations as well as a short story about one of the saints is always included.  Although the newsletter is short, it still gives you something to think about which I'm sure was the intent of the newsletter.  Being that Lancaster is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States, it is rich in religious history.  

St. James ca. 1820.

If you travel around the city and county you will find churches and meeting places for Mennonites, Amish, Moravians, Roman Catholics, Jewish... and the list goes on and on.  Churches with names memorial- izing St. Luke, St. Benedict, St. Anne and any number or other saints line the streets and roads of Lancaster.  So why were they given their name?  St. James Episcopal began in 1744, but closed during the Revolutionary War due to having an English minister at the time.  

St. James Episcopal as seen today.

After the Revolution, peace was restored and the boards covering the windows of the church were removed.  It still retained St. James as its patron saint.  So, who is this guy we named our church after?  Seems that James was one of the sons of Zebedee and was sometimes referred to as James the Greater since his cousin was known as James the Less.  He was a fisherman by trade and was called by Jesus as a fisher of men.  After the Ascension, James traveled to Spain to preach the Gospel and then returned to Jerusalem.  

St. James the Greater.

In 44 AD he was beheaded and the site of his martyrdom has become a destination for pilgrims in what is now the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.  James the Greater is the patron saint of several countries including Spain and its city Santiago (Spanish for Saint James) and the Philippines.  James is also the patron saint of veterinarians, equestrians, furriers, tanners and pharmacists.  On special days when we celebrate St. James in our church, the church is adorned in red as a symbol of the blood of the martyrs that was shed for Christ.  A truly beautiful sight.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.